Vehicle rear structure

Abstract

A projection portion projecting in the same direction as an offset portion is provided between a welding-spot portion and a joining portion joined to a rear side member in a lower back panel. Accordingly, when a tensile force directed outwardly in the vehicle width direction is applied to the lower back panel, the projection portion is extended by the tensile force thus applied and is displaced toward the opposite side of the projecting direction of the projection portion, that is, toward the opposite side of the offset direction. Hereby, a stress applied to the welding-spot portion in an inclined wall portion can be reduced. This makes it possible to restrain weight and cost and to also restrain stresses applied to the welding-spot portion from the lower back panel and a rear floor pan when a load is input from a towing hitch member.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A vehicle rear structure comprising:
 a projection portion; and 
 a lower back panel joined to a rear end of a rear floor pan provided in a vehicle rear portion and rear ends of a pair of rear side members, each of the rear side members attached to a corresponding one of two ends of the rear floor pan in a vehicle width direction, the lower back panel having:
 a through-hole into which a connecting member of a towing hitch member is able to be inserted, the towing hitch member being attached to the rear side members; 
 a first offset portion formed inwardly in the vehicle width direction from the rear side members and offset toward an offset side, the offset side being one side in a vehicle front-rear direction; 
 an inclined wall portion formed inwardly in the vehicle width direction compared with a corresponding one of the rear side members, the inclined wall portion being configured to connect the first offset portion to a general part, the general part being a part other than the first offset portion and the inclined wall portion in the lower back panel; and 
 a welding-spot portion provided in the inclined wall portion, the welding-spot portion being welded to a part of the rear end of the rear floor pan, wherein: 
 
 the projection portion is provided between the welding-spot portion and a joining portion of the lower back panel; 
 the projection portion projects towards the offset side; and 
 the joining portion is a part where the lower back panel is joined to one of the rear side members. 
 
     
     
       2. The vehicle rear structure according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first offset portion is offset toward the offset side so as to correspond to a second offset portion which is offset toward the offset side; and 
 the second offset portion is a part of the rear end of the rear floor pan, which is offset toward the offset side. 
 
     
     
       3. The vehicle rear structure according to  claim 1 , wherein the projection portion is provided at a position including a part of a lower edge of the lower back panel. 
     
     
       4. The vehicle rear structure according  claim 1 , wherein:
 the projection portion has a generally trapezoidal shape increased in width toward a lower side in a vehicle up-down direction; and 
 a lower end of the projection portion is placed to be lower than the joining portion in the vehicle up-down direction.